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THULASENDRAPURAM, India: After supporting Kamala Harris as President-elect Joe Biden’s running mate, the people of her small ancestral Indian village awoke Sunday morning (November 8) to the news that she was making history.
Most of them had gone to sleep when Biden reached the Electoral College’s 270-vote winning threshold.
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“Congratulations Kamala Harris. Pride of our village. Vanakkam (Greetings) America,” wrote a powder-colored resident outside her residence.
“We have all been looking forward to this day. Congratulations,” said Aulmozhi Sudhakar, a village councilor.
The 350-strong town of Thulasendrapuram planned to celebrate Harris’s success with singing, dancing and firecrackers at a temple later Sunday.
As early as morning, groups gathered on street corners reading newspapers and chatting about the Democrats’ victory before moving to the temple to pray.
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Clippings and posters wishing Harris a “big hit” adorned the town walls.
“Kamala Harris is the daughter of our people. From children to seniors, each of us is looking forward to the day when she will be sworn in as Vice President of the United States,” Sudhakar said.
J Sudhakar, who organized the prayers on Election Day, expressed his wish that Harris now visit the village. As Americans voted, nearly 50 residents, with folded hands, lined up at the temple that reverberated with the sound of bells, and a Hindu priest gave them candy and flowers as a religious offering.
Indian women prepare a kolam congratulating US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in Harris’s maternal grandfather’s hometown of Thulasendrapuram, south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India, November 8, 2020 (Photo: AP / Aijaz Rahi).
Women in the village, 350 km from the southern coastal city of Chennai, used bright colors to write “We wish Kamala Harris to win” on the ground, alongside a thumbs-up sign.
The lush green town is the hometown of Harris’s maternal grandfather, who immigrated to the United States decades ago.
Inside the temple where people have been celebrating special prayers, Harris’s name is carved into a stone that lists the public donations made to the temple in 2014, along with that of his grandfather, who gave money decades ago.
Police officers participate in a special prayer for the success of then-Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris at a temple in the village of Thulasendrapuram, south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India, 3 November 2020 (Photo: AP / Aijaz Rahi). )
Harris’s late mother was also born in India, before moving to the United States at the age of 19 to study at the University of California. She married a Jamaican and they named their daughter Kamala, which in Sanskrit means “lotus flower.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Harris’s success in a tweet as a pioneer and a source of immense pride not only for his family members but also for all Indian-Americans. “I am confident that the vibrant ties between India and the United States will be further strengthened with your support and leadership.”
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There has been both enthusiasm, and some concern, for Harris’ choice of Biden as his running mate.
Modi had invested in President Donald Trump, who visited India in February. Modi’s many Hindu nationalist supporters were also upset with Harris when he expressed concern about the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir, whose statehood the Indian government revoked in August last year.
Harris supported Pramila Jayapal, another Indian-American congresswoman, when Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar declined to attend a meeting in the United States about her involvement last year. Jayapal had previously tabled a resolution on the Kashmir issue criticizing India in the House of Representatives.
Human rights groups accuse India of human rights violations in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where insurgent groups have been fighting for independence or merger with neighboring Pakistan since 1989.
